Formal Education

20 years ago, the mere thought of learning a language like Arabic, Chinese, Russian, or any other one which alphabet is different than ours, would scare us out. Today, fortunately, things are quite different. Each time more and more people are starting to learn these languages (meaning languages that are totally different than their native tongues) because of the constantly improving language teaching techniques. Indeed, globalization plays a crucial role here. This phenomenon entails both advantages and drawbacks which we will not discuss, but when it comes to languages, globalization helps us build a more unified society (speaking at a global level), do away with our differences to focus on the things we have in common, and grow an interest in the different cultures of the world.

When taking Arabic lessons Chicago students explain that the reason why they chose such a difficult language has to do with challenging themselves. The 2011 mind focuses on evolution, personal development and social awareness. It seems like the young people are looking for a change, they are not afraid of challenges anymore. Besides, they know that the benefits they will get from knowing such a different language are worth it. The Arabic culture is one of vital importance since it influences the rest of the world, which is why according to the U.S. Department has named Arabic a “critical language”. Students know that Arabic will give them a career edge in areas like diplomacy, business, international development, academia, etc.

Something similar happens with Chinese. Even though Chinese has always been popular because of its difficulty, this might have been a myth that mushroomed to become a popular belief. The truth is that even though the Chinese writing system is different than ours, its grammar turns out to be quite simple and logical. While taking Chinese classes Vancouver language students explain that Chinese lacks those exceptions that are generally the things that make it hard to understand.  For example, there is no conjugation, declension or any other inflection. In order to express numbers in nouns or tenses in verbs, Chinese speakers use word order or particles. Besides, while nouns in other languages may be distinguished by plural and singular (“men” and “man”) or verbs by number or person (“I go”, “she goes”), Chinese lexemes are typically invariant.

Hopefully, as time goes by, more and more people will dare to study languages like Chinese or Arabic as a second tongue. We believe it can happen.